In a somewhat geographically and culturally challenging development, the first-ever European Games began on 13 June in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan is usually identified as a Central Asian country, but the European Union considers it to be in what it calls its ‘European Neighbourhood’ – what others in the world would call ‘our backyard’. This might be shorthand for ‘an area close enough to us that what happens there affects our peace and stability’ - Ukraine is another country in the ‘Neighbourhood’. Just days ahead of the Games, on Tuesday, Amnesty International was ordered to leave Azerbaijan after it launched a report, ‘Azerbaijan - the Repression Games’ in which it highlighted human rights abuses in the country. But what about rights to freedom of religion or belief in Azerbaijan, and, more generally, across Central Asia? The Games and the surrounding publicity offer a reason to take a closer look at the region.

The Albanian opposition condemned voting ‘irregularities’ in Sunday’s local elections, which were a test of the Balkan country's fragile democracy. The first official results to elect mayors and councillors in 61 municipalities were not expected until Monday, but the opposition Democratic Party quickly cried foul after polling stations closed. ‘There have been irregularities and manipulations, as well as pressure and threats against voters from the right,’ senior PD lawmaker Edi Paloka said in a statement, while also claiming a clear win for his party. Since the fall of communism Albanian elections have been marred by violence and accusations of fraud from all sides. ‘More than the results, the real importance of these elections are the values of democracy which must triumph,’ said parliamentary speaker Ilir Meta. Albania is extremely poor and only obtained EU candidate status last year in a move to fight against corruption and organised crime.

The plague of alcoholism and poverty in one Kenyan village led to the despair of the Christian chieftain who saw poverty driving hundreds of women to brew illegal and dangerous alcohol which they secretly made and sold in their homes. When Samuel spoke at a meeting the chief organised, he did not expect his audience would number almost 200 people. He challenged the men and women to choose a new course in life and told the chief to let him know if a few of the women might choose to leave brewing and attend a few days of training at the Truth Training Centre. Three days later a surprised chief called and said, ‘Samuel, there are more than 100 women who want to come for training! This is a miracle!’ When they arrived on a bright Monday morning, they did not realise that dozens of lives were about to change. Toward the end of the devotion the Spirit of God moved, and 44 women and two men gave their lives to Jesus Christ as their Saviour and Lord.

Known by some as a wrongfully imprisoned child soldier and by others as a terrorist and murderer, Omar Khadr is free after nearly 13 years in prison. The 28-year-old, accused of war crimes and imprisoned since he was 15, was released on bail on 7 May. A group of Christian educators are applauding the decision, and continuing their quest to help Khadr upgrade his schooling. Arlette Zinck, a professor at The King’s University in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada first heard Khadr’s story from his lawyer in 2008. He spoke of a profoundly wounded teen with a fist-sized bullet hole in his chest, who was nicknamed ‘buckshot’ by guards because of the many shrapnel wounds in his body, and made to carry heavy pails of water until his wounds wept. He experienced sleep deprivation and cruelties of cold temperatures. Despite all this he had never spoken an ill word about anyone. To read the full story of a Canadian child taken to Afghanistan click the ‘More’ button.